REALLY LATE BREAKING NEWS. This posting is REALLY late. Well over a year ago, Des Moines Fire Captain Randy Jones called our attention to a KCCI-TV video (see except in bottom photo) that included a segment showing a Hawk-equipped firefighter working his way into an apartment fire on Fleur Drive in Des Moines. The troops had been called out around 12:30 in the morning for smoke in the hallway of a 3-story, occupied building. On arrival, evacuation was in progress and smoke was pushing from the roof.
The fire (started by electrical arching) spread undetected in the attic for some time before it was detected, by which time it also involved parts of four apartments. Tight quarters and extension into numerous void spaces kept overhaul crews engaged for several hours.
Des Moines Fire Department was an early user of the original Hawk Tool. Malven designed it in the ’80s for manufacture by Iowa American Fire Equipment, located in nearby Osceola, Iowa. Even though Iowa-American has been out of business for well over a decade, it’s not unusual to see older Hawks popping up at working jobs from time-to-time. And, as shown above, current versions are also starting to appear.